Glacier View

Enid Lake at Glacier View Snow Park

The forecast predicted that it would rain Saturday and Sunday when we checked earlier in the week. We were keeping our fingers crossed that there would be a break in the rain so that we could go snowshoeing! Luckily, on Saturday morning, the forecast said "late rains" on Saturday and "snow/rain" all day Sunday. That was good enough for us! We packed up as quickly as possible headed to Hood!

We used the trusty iPhone on the road to choose a close snow park that was also high enough to have snow. Glacier View was our top choice and we arrived there around 2PM. It was minutes away from Government Camp, which we had passed through last trip to get to White River Canyon. We geared up and hit the trail! There were many possible routes and we choose the Glacier View Loop. We soon realized that we went the wrong way and found ourselves on the Enid Lake Trail. That was just fine with us since we were hoping to take that loop eventually too. :)

We reached Enid Lake, pausing on its snowy banks to rest and take in the beauty surrounding us.


We continued on and took the loop back to the trailhead. We really enjoyed snowshoeing through the trees and windy trails. The topography of the terrain was great. We tried to capture this in some photos:

After returning to the trailhead, Stephanie sat down in the snow to meditate (which quickly evolved to a nap) and Mike set out for the Glacier View loop. We met up after about an hour and headed home. We passed by but did not stop at the Rendezvous Grill since we're poor students and also because we needed to get back home so we could study and not feel too guilty for taking the day off. :) As it turns out, we went to bed soon after getting home--snowshoeing is tiring! But so, so fun!!

Mt. Hood as seen from Enid Lake

White River Canyon

On one of our rare non-test weekends, we headed to the snow once again! This time our destination was White River Canyon at Mt. Hood. We grabbed our gear and hit the road. After a lovely 1.5hr drive, we arrived in Government Camp. We bought the parking pass for White River Canyon and briefly looked around town. It's so new and quaint! There are a handful of restaurants, a bakery, a general store, and a hotel.

We then headed to White River Canyon, about five minutes away by car. It was a beautiful, clear day; we didn't need to dress in many layers. Plus, one builds up quite a sweat when snowshoeing! We geared up and began our trek. The snow was quite crusty, which actually proved rather satisfying. Unlike downhill skiing or snowboarding, snowshoeing doesn't seem to depend as much on the snow conditions. As long as there is snow, we can 'shoe!

We walked toward Mt. Hood's peak for about an hour and then headed back. The pace was relaxing and allowed us to take in the natural beauty all around us. We love being surrounded by the vast sky, big open spaces, pristine white snow, and stately trees. How wonderful to feel so at One with Nature, so at peace. :) At one point we walked down to the river to appreciate its brisk movement along the jagged rocks and silty riverbed.

Just as we returned to the car, the sun began to set, providing a beautiful glowing red sky of a backdrop behind Hood. We felt satisfied with another great day in the snow! Our journey home included a dinner stop at the Rendezvous Grill in Welches. We both enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger with Raclette. Yum!! (To clarify, we each enjoyed our own burger--we had worked up quite an appetite!) This restaurant is family owned and has such a comfortable atmosphere, great service, and delicious food! We hope to dine there again!